Inside: The Week In Sports

Olympic Sports
An exhilarating win at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials is overshadowed by a shocking death • Paula Radcliffe makes a resounding comeback • U.S. boxers end world championship drought

College Football
Building on the experience gained in a tough 2006, surprising Virginia is winning close games and is in the thick of the ACC race • Arkansas's Darren McFadden makes a Heisman statement

NASCAR
As the season winds down, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s focus shifts from the 8 to '08 • Jimmie Johnson passes Jeff Gordon with two Cup races to go • Clint Bowyer's Chase bubble bursts

High School Football
Sports was a welcome distraction after the San Diego County wildfires left homes and school facilities in ashes • Showdown in the Cowboy State • A Kansas team puts up 72 points ... in the first quarter

RUSH HOUR It was bumper-to-bumper traffic when the field for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials went to work on Sixth Avenue in New York City early last Saturday morning. The race was won in a record time of 2:09:02 by 25-year-old Ryan Hall (blue shirt, behind front-runner Edwardo Torres). Hall's triumph was mixed with tragedy, as fellow runner Ryan Shay collapsed on the course and died.

PHOTO

Photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier